Until They All Come Home

I have decided that I have love/hate feelings for the military. (Disclaimer: I am speaking of military LIFE and NOT of support for them which I always have whole-heartedly done.) I really hate separation. REALLY, REALLY HATE IT!!!!! And policies that people just think up. And lines. And waiting to wait in line. And waiting to wait to wait in line.....we wait in LOTS of lines. ;o) Oh, and did I mention separation??? Really hate that! Especially during the holidays. But enough of that.
What I love:
I love being a part of the military family (even though I've had to build my own since we technically don't exist here, hate that too.) We step in where needed because there probably isn't anyone else to. A friend of mine had a baby about 2 1/2 weeks ago--a week before her husband came home from deployment and 3 weeks before her due date (R&R strikes again.) I got a 5 a.m. phone call from her asking if she could bring her other 2 kids by while another friend took her to the hospital on post to wait in line to be seen. Around 9 I took ALL the kids and headed up there. I ended up running back and forth between the extremely small waiting room which was chock full of our kids (whoever invented portable DVD players was a GENIUS!!!!!) and the labor room to coach her on breathing. That evening another milspouse whom I hadn't ever met before, brought us dinner to the hospital. Homemade chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn--it was delish!!! At the end of the very long day, I looked back over it all and thought about 4 women, one was a stranger to me, another I had only met a few times. But we pulled together to get a mutual friend through a difficult day, and we got to witness a miracle. I wouldn't have been a part of that if I wasn't part of the military community. And that's what I love.
I posted a status update on FB listing my running around that day. Several people commented that it was a nice thing for me to do, etc. etc. That got me to thinking about why I do things like that. Yes, I love helping my friends. Yes, I have a Christian obligation and love being a working part of the body. But I realized another reason. It's part of my duty as a milspouse. If we don't do our part at home, then our guys can't do their job where ever they are. So I help coach during labor, I go to the doctor for test results, I keep a stranger's kids during surgery, I attend welcome home ceremonies for other people's husbands, I hang banners, I run errands, I lend a shoulder, I cry and laugh and grit my teeth to get through it, because that's MY duty. Until all our guys come home.....